Archived News: 2016: April

April 2, 2016

FIRA

On Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2, Georgia Tech Crew traveled south to Sarasota, FL for the FIRA Championships. The regatta was held at Nathan Benderson Park and featured Florida teams such as Rollins, Florida, FSU, and Barry along with the University of Central Oklahoma. The weather featured heavy winds and rough waters, which made for tough racing conditions down the course.

Racing began with heats on Friday afternoon. Tech’s novice women were first up with their entry in the frosh/novice four event, where they placed sixth and did not advance from their heat. The varsity women placed second in the varsity four heat next which was enough to earn them a slot in the finals the next day. However, the final was not raced due to the cancellations. The women’s pair without coxswain dominated their heat by a margin of almost fifteen seconds. The men’s frosh/novice B four won their final that afternoon by open water.

Racing resumed Saturday morning with straight finals, beginning with the eights. The varsity men easily won their final over strong boats from Rollins and Stetson, while the varsity women placed sixth in a race that included strong NCAA crews such as reigning national champions Barry. Up next was the men’s junior varsity eight race, where Tech’s second eight found itself with a thirty second victory over the other entry, Tech’s novice men. The novice men then had a strong victory in the frosh/novice lightweight four over ERAU and FSU. The lightweight novice women raced to second place in their event behind a strong Florida crew. Finishing up the lightweight events for the day was the varsity men’s eight, which raced side-by-side with ERAU for the majority of the course, before leaving them behind in the sprint to win gold.

Small boats were up next, which were quite the spectacle due to the tumultuous conditions. The men’s pair finished fourth after leading the field for the majority of the race before being taken by the waves and flipping. The women’s pair went on to win their final by a margin of over eighteen seconds, to continue Tech’s four year win streak in the event. Tech’s women featured heavily in the single sculls event, which saw them place third and fourth.

Tech’s novice men won over Stetson with a fierce sprint in the last 250 meters in their eight race. The novice women placed fifth in a very close race between themselves, Florida B, and Rollins for third. In one of the final races of the day, Tech’s varsity men won in the junior varsity four over CFR, ERAU, Rollins, and Tech’s novice men, who placed fourth. The remaining races, including the varsity men’s lightweight four, women’s frosh/novice B eight, men’s frosh/novice four, men’s varsity B four, women’s varsity B four, and men’s varsity four, were cancelled after a two hour weather delay and eventual cancellation of races due to an incoming storm line.

Georgia Tech Crew returns to action at Oak Ridge, TN for the SIRA Championship Regatta on Saturday, April 16 through Sunday, April 17.

April 17, 2016

SIRA

On Saturday, April 16 and Sunday, April 17, 2016, Georgia Tech Crew raced against crews from across the south and slightly beyond in the SIRA Championship Regatta in Oak Ridge, TN. The weather was sunny and warm throughout, with some wind in the afternoons.

The novice men’s four had a fantastic time trial, placing third overall and advancing to semis that afternoon. They managed to win their semifinal by just under a second, which put them in good position for the A final the next day. After a tough race, the novice men placed fifth in their final. The novice men’s eight was seeded eleventh after their time trial and advanced to semifinals. Their semi later that afternoon saw them place fifth to a quick Delaware eight. They then placed sixth in the B final on Sunday.

The novice women’s first eight placed tenth in their morning time trial, which saw them advance to semifinals. After some suspicious coxswain activity by other crews, Tech’s eight found themselves in third place and in the A final the next day, where they placed sixth. The novice women’s second eight’s time trial was a race for lanes, and the eight rowed to a fifth place finish. Their final the next day saw them place fifth as well, behind strong crews such as Purdue, Kansas State, and Tennessee.

The varsity women’s eight had a high-flying time trial, which saw them top the time trials over Clemson. Their semifinal later that afternoon also saw them cruise to first by a little more than a boat length. They fell to Clemson in the A final the next day by six seconds but did earn silver medals in what was a very large field. The varsity women’s four placed tenth after time trials and advanced to semis. After a tight semi that saw only a three second difference between second and fourth place, Tech placed fourth and went to the B final, where they placed fifth.

The first race of Saturday was the time trial for the men’s double, which saw Tech row to a ninth place finish, and a slot in the B final. The double went on to place second in the final later that afternoon. Next up was a fourth place finish and a slot in the A final for the men’s pair. The pair went on to fourth in their final on Sunday, only four seconds back from third place finishers, Rollins. The lightweight men’s eight, who raced in the junior varsity eight event, placed tenth in the time trials, which saw them through to the B final. They placed second in the B final and were the second fastest lightweight crew in the event. The varsity men’s four raced for the first time in their new four, The Edmonds, named in honor and memory of Brian Edmonds, and they placed first in the time trial by over ten seconds. They then easily won their semifinal that afternoon. The next day, they won the final easily and received more betting shirts than they could carry.

Georgia Tech Crew’s next race is the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia, PA on Friday, May 13 and Saturday, May 14.